Smart Products value creation in SMEs innovation ecosystems

Abstract Technological innovations are increasing the opportunities to develop technically and economically feasible Smart Products. However, the development of Smart Products requires knowledge and capabilities that single companies usually do not possess, thus creating new opportunities for cooperation through the establishment of innovation ecosystems focused on Smart Products. Hence, this study aims at understanding possible configurations for these ecosystems by considering the required characteristics they should display to allow the development of Smart Products from their early stages. We conducted a case study in an electro-electronic and automation industrial cluster of 120 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), based on 37 interviews with key participants in the ecosystem: 15 SMEs executives, 8 academics, 2 R&D center representatives, 8 large manufacturing customers, 3 business associations and 1 state government representative. As a result, we developed a conceptual framework that presents the required characteristics of an innovation ecosystem to offer Smart Products, and discloses the relationships among these characteristics.